Bayfront Health Community Pillar Contribution
BROOKSVILLE, Florida, July 15, 2021- Patients with rectal tumors now have a new treatment option that may significantly improve quality of life. Previously, patients with rectal tumors that couldn’t be removed via colonoscopy required invasive surgery that often resulted in significant alterations to their anatomy.
However, George Tsai, M.D., FACS, general surgeon with Bayfront Health Medical Group, recently performed a trans-anal, minimally invasive surgery (TAMIS) at Bayfront Health Brooksville. Dr. Tsai resected a tumor the size of a potato without complication.
“The modern surgery approach is to be less invasive without compromising the surgical outcomes of more invasive, traditional procedures, said Tsai. “With previous surgical options, the balance of complete disease removal and quality of life had been hard to maintain. Complications frequently required a colostomy.”
As a result of this minimally invasive technique, the Bayfront Health Brooksville patient was able to go home after overnight observation and resume all activity quickly.
A specialized TAMIS device is placed inside the anal canal to provide the surgeon access to the rectum, which is inflated with carbon dioxide gas (similar to a colonoscopy) to offer the surgeon visibility and optimal working space. A high-definition camera and specialized laparoscopic instruments are placed through the TAMIS device, allowing the surgeon to operate with precision. The tumor is removed and the rectum is repaired internally to allow the wall of the rectum to heal.
Dr. George Tsai attended medical school at Drexel University College of Medicine in Philadelphia. He performed his residency at Christiana Care Health System in Delaware. Having practiced as a general surgeon for more than 22 years, Dr. joined Bayfront Health Medical Group in February of 2020. He received additional training from surgeons and gastroenterologists with a subspecialty focus on foregut motility.
To learn more about minimally invasive surgical options or to request an appointment, visit BayfrontMedicalGroup.com or call 352-544-6145. To register to attend “The Evolution of Surgical Robotics,” presented by George Tsai M.D., FACS, visit RoboticSurgery.Eventbrite.com. Registration is required.
